Smiles for Tomorrow
by fuzzydream
Summary: It's summer in Scarborough and Mr and Mrs Bates discuss the past and think of the future. Sequel to New Tides, so might be better to read that one first. Very slight spoilers for Series 4.


**A/N:** This is a sequel for New Tides, so it would be better to read that one first. I just love this little universe and I needed to do another story. :P Maybe a new one in the future? Mrs Hughes could come by to visit or something. If you like this one, it might be planned. Let me know what you think of it. Thanks to Terrie for editing!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Downton Abbey.

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**Smiles for Tomorrow** by fuzzydream

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John grimaced slightly as he reached the last stair, finally arriving at the bottom floor. His leg didn't normally bother him so much these days, but the last few weeks had been rougher than they anticipated; summer was proving to be more than they expected, in Scarborough. Now, in mid-August, they had been full for weeks, and were even trying to hire another maid, as Anna's current state had him worried that she might overwork. John took a deep breath and leaned on his cane a bit heavily for a moment; he wished the weather would cool down.

A worried frown appeared on his face as he thought of Anna – she must be tired. A nightmare woke them both up at some ungodly hour and it took him a few minutes to calm her down. They weren't a usual occurrence, thankfully – not anymore, at least. He blamed it on tiredness and the warm temperature of their bedroom, plus the increasing discomfort Anna had been feeling lately, as she neared her eighth month of pregnancy. Her growing belly was proving to be difficult to carry around, in her own words, though her smiles had never been as frequent as they were now. She was glowing, as much as a woman could, in John's opinion. Anna had never been more beautiful as she was now, even if she complained of her swelling feet after a work's day or of an aching back. He caught her humming often and muttering soft words to the baby while working; he was also becoming quite good at foot massages and at making her smile. A year ago he had been worried he would never be able to accomplish such a thing again – now, he could only hope they would never stop.

"Mr Bell, what can we expect for tomorrow?" John asked as he entered the reception area to see their manager, Mr Bell, alone behind the desk. The younger man looked up immediately.

"We have a few parties leaving in the morning and another one arriving," he replied dutifully. "Should be a quieter day."

"I certainly hope so but I am not complaining," John said with a smile. "Did you happen to see my wife, Mr Bell?"

"Mrs Bates passed by not long ago," Mr Bell told him, "looking for Betsy. Probably in the kitchen."

"Thank you, Mr Bell," John said, making a quick exit towards the kitchen.

And he did find her there, by the cabinets, perhaps checking their storage, holding a paper. She was humming a song, and her free hand was splayed on her belly, drawing slow circles on it. She was wearing the purple dress he liked very much, but he couldn't see her face as she was standing with her back to him. He took a moment to watch her – Anna never failed to take his breath away. She continued humming, as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as he watched, mesmerised. He wanted to remember this time of their lives and he wanted to remember all the details in the future. Her pregnancy had been a very welcome surprise, after years of marriage, and they both agreed that this might be their only chance to enjoy it.

And he certainly was, very much so; he quite enjoyed seeing Anna's body changing to accommodate their baby, ever so small and so present in their lives already. The curiosity took the best of them sometimes, as they debated names and if the baby was a girl or a boy. Uncertainty peeked into his brain every now and then – he wasn't sure how to be a father, how to be a good father, but one look at Anna and he was sure he would do his best at this, for he knew without any doubt that Anna would be the best mother walking this earth.

A yelp coming from Anna startled him and he instantly started moving closer to her, as her hand came to lie on her belly again. His movement alerted her of his presence and she turned, a surprised look on her face.

"John, I didn't see you there," she said softly with a smile, her hand now patting her stomach. "It's nothing, before you even ask. Your son or daughter is just a bit agitated."

Her tone was teasing and he couldn't help but smile, even though her features did look a bit tired. He stopped in front of her. "I just wanted to make sure you are all right."

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired," she informed him quietly as he rested his hand on top of hers. "I know I should rest but we're so busy as it is."

"We have Betsy and Janet and hopefully we'll be able to get someone else soon," he told her. "We can't have you on your feet all day."

She nodded a bit sadly. "I know. I just can't help but think I won't be much of a help next year as well."

John reached to caress her cheek lovingly and she stepped closer to him. "I for one think we will both have our hands full this time next year. Imagine that, an exploring little one in a hotel this big?"

"Exploring is one way of saying it. They might take after you, and keep their business quiet," she pointed out, though let out a laugh a second later. "I do remember your mother saying in one of her letters that you were a curious little one, though."

"So you and my mother did exchange some secrets, after all," he kissed her forehead. "You should go rest, take a bath. We could go have supper at that restaurant you love and relax a bit. What do you say?" She pursed her lips, deep in thought. John chuckled and slipped his arms around her expanding waist. Her frame was still so small against him. "Remember their pudding."

Anna's lips formed a smile. "I do love their pudding."

"Then it's settled," John said happily, glad to see her so serene today. "Will you rest now? I do worry, you know."

"I know," she let out sigh. "All right, I'll go."

She stood on her tiptoes carefully and he leaned down to meet her halfway in a slow, chaste kiss. He was smiling when she pulled away.

"But don't take too long either. You need some time off as well," she said with a pointed look at him, looking very much like the mother she already was. He was absolutely sure his smile was a bit silly, but he could not bring himself to care. He fell in love with her more every day.

"I'll be right after you, darling," John said softly, watching as she walked away.

He was still staring at the door after she disappeared until he decided it was time to wrap the work for the day and give his wife some very needed and deserving attention.

* * *

John knocked softly on the bathroom door, after looking everywhere in their home for his wife and not finding her. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to rush home, as Mr Bell stopped him to ask a few questions and he was delayed. It was odd that she was still taking a bath, but he knew now more than ever how long baths could soothe Anna's back pain, and he wasn't about to suggest any different.

Relief flooded in his veins as he heard her voice telling him to come in, and indeed there she was – a smile crossed his lips as he spotted the back of her head resting against the tub, and he could see her eyes were closed. There were quite a few bubbles in the water and he could already smell that Anna scent that intoxicated him. He was glad to see her relaxing a bit.

"You took your time," her voice startled him somewhat, and he took a step forward, the tap of his cane loud against the stillness of the room.

"Just a couple of problems to solve," John told her quietly. "Do you mind if I shave?"

"No, not at all," she said he walked to the sink, though not before caressing her cheek softly as he passed by her. She had a sweet smile on her face, which slowly turned into a frown. "Your leg must be bothering you. Are you sure you want to go out? We can stay if you'd like. I don't mind."

"I can manage just fine, my darling," John told her with a smile. "We should make the most of the time we have now. A man can treat his lovely wife to a nice dinner."

He washed his face before looking at his reflection in the mirror. Anna's voice filled his ears.

"I suppose you're right, but there's always tomorrow," she offered. "You tell me I need to rest, but you must, too."

"And we shall. I was thinking," John said quietly as he applied some lotion on his face and prepared the razor. "perhaps we could go away for a day. On a trip to somewhere we haven't been yet. Maybe Bridlington. They say the beach there is very nice."

"I think _our_ beach is very nice," Anna said in a teasing tone, and he turned to look at her. He chuckled when the soap escaped her hand and got lost in the water. He turned back to the sink and started to shave. "But I think it sounds great. It will be nice to get away for a bit."

He smiled and got on with shaving, while Anna closed her eyes once more; they would have to make it an early dinner, he was sure of it. What with the bad night they had had yesterday, he was quite certain Anna longed for a dreamless sleep. He wouldn't wake her up the next morning – she deserved to wake up natural every now and then. Perhaps he would do the same. It was habit they had taken to at least once a week, ever since they moved to Scarborough. The fact that they made their own clock wasn't lost on them and they spent their first mornings lazily in bed, stretching and talking and making love. It was easy to give in to Anna and far too tempting to stay in bed. It was still that way, even now, ten months after they left Downton. With pregnancy, Anna felt more tired and John had insisted that she took her mornings off a few weeks ago. Sometimes she still showed up at the hotel, but lately she had taken to staying in their cottage and occupying herself with knitting and reading.

They spent the next minutes in comfortable silence, and John appreciated that they could do such simple things together now, in each other's company. Their cottage at Downton had provided them privacy and many happy moments, but their time there was limited as they spent most of their days at the Abbey. Here, they had much more freedom; John was rarely needed at the hotel at night, as Mr Bell spent nights there, and Anna usually managed all the house work by mid-afternoon, with Janet and Betsy helping her. The hotel was nothing compared to a Downton Abbey full of guests and many people to dress.

"This week reminded me of my first days as a housemaid," Anna commented after a while, a smile on her face. She let out a chuckle. "Mr Carson scolded me quite a few times for getting lost. It was quite grand for a young girl who used to live in a house with only three rooms."

"It's not difficult to get lost there," John chuckled. "It was a busy week, then?"

"Yes. I had never worked so hard in my life. I wanted so badly to belong and to fit in. I had never felt so tired," she let out another chuckle. "Of course later I would get used to it. But these busy days here remind me of those long days of dressing the girls and cleaning the rooms and making sure the newest housemaid was doing everything the right way. All I thought about then was of the evenings, when I could count on having a cup of tea with you."

John smiled, reminiscing in her fond memories. He could relate to her story.

"Do you miss it, Anna?" he asked her quietly.

She took a moment to think. He felt anxious, all of sudden.

"I suppose I do, parts of it. There were so many great things there. Our history is there," she said as he turned and looked at her. Her eyes were a bit sad. "The good and the bad, it's all there. But I think in the end it all led up to where we are now, and I could never think of it as anything different than the past."

"Do you not regret coming here, then?" he asked a bit nervously. It wasn't his first time asking this. Their move had been rather quick and they had made the decision to come in a matter of hours before letting Lord Grantham know. Sometimes he wondered if Anna still wished she were there, among the people they knew and loved, among the servants that became a second family to them. "I know it was all a bit sudden."

"Was it, though?" Anna asked with a smile. "I felt like I had been waiting for this all my life. I could never regret it."

They exchanged a knowing look and he smiled.

"We should hurry if we want to get some pudding," he pointed out, and Anna giggled. He could never tire of hearing that. "Do you feel up to it? I know you had a bad night."

"It was just a nightmare. It's all in the past," she shook her head almost ferociously before gripping the edges of the tub. "I might need some help getting out of here."

He laughed and walked towards her, happy to help in any way he could. Grabbing a towel, he held out his hand for her to take it, which she did with a somewhat embarrassed smile, though she blushed slightly once she stood up. He found it rather endearing, really, as he draped the towel around her body and she was quick to cover herself, though not before he looked – Anna looked thoroughly beautiful. Pregnancy only made him fall more in love with her, and he admired her for taking it all so naturally, so easily. In many ways, it had been serving to make them grow closer, and despite his doubts, he couldn't wait to meet their baby, to be a father – to see Anna be a mother, even more than she already was now, in the anticipation of their baby's birth.

She chanced a look at him, the blush still on her cheeks, and he leaned down to capture her lips in a slow kiss. She was surprised, but sighed into his mouth and let him in – her taste as sweet as ever. He smiled and pulled away.

"What was that for?" Anna asked him in a whisper, a slow smile crossing her features as she caught his hand once more and got out of the bath tub.

"You look beautiful. You know that, don't you?" John breathed, his gaze on her.

She blushed again. "If you like women who are the size of an elephant, I suppose."

He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "I mean it, Anna. You're more beautiful every day."

Anna smiled, blinking slowly and letting out a deep breath. She reached to caress his cheek softly.

"I'm happier every day," she said slowly as he took hold of her hand and kissed the back of it. "What about you, Mr Bates? Have you any regrets?"

John considered her question, a bit surprised to hear it. Over their years together, he would have said he had many regrets – marrying Vera, leaving Anna, getting Anna in the middle of his own mess, leaving Anna again. Over the years, she had been the one to not regret anything; she had been the one to convince him he could not regret anything. Still, he would always regret watching that concert, and he would always remember his failure in protecting her. This would not do, however – it had been dealt with and it was long over now. His memory couldn't be erased, and mostly importantly, neither could hers. It would always be part of their story now, no matter what. In the end, Anna was still right – it was in the past, it belonged in the past, and where they were now was all that it mattered.

"How could I?" he found himself saying, despite everything. "We're here. And if can make you happier tomorrow than you are today, I have no reason to regret anything."

Anna smiled, and he could see the smallest trace of tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and laced her fingers through his before letting him go.

"You can start by getting me that pudding," she said after a moment, teasing evident in her voice. "But I think we should try to get home early in order to… savour these moments we have by ourselves before the baby is born."

John let out a chuckle.

"A very good idea, Mrs Bates."

He vowed to make the future better for her and he could only hope to succeed.


End file.
